Repository:Public Record Office for Northern Ireland

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is the official archive for Northern Ireland. It aims to identify and preserve records of historical, social and cultural importance and make them available for the information, education and enjoyment of the public. PRONI is the official place of deposit for public records in Northern Ireland. In addition, it collects a wide range of archives from private sources. PRONI also advises on and promotes best practice in archive and records management to ensure that today’s records will be available for future generations. Located in Belfast, PRONI is a government organisation founded in 1923 (shortly after the partition of Ireland). It now operates as part of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) within the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS).

Holdings

PRONI holds millions of documents that relate chiefly, but by no means exclusively, to Northern Ireland. They date largely from c.1600 to the present day (with a few dating back as far as the early 13th century). The records held in PRONI fall into two main categories:

Public records

PRONI holds public records mainly dating from around the formation of Northern Ireland (1921) to the present day. A small number date back to the 19th and late 18th centuries. The term ‘public record’ generally refers to any document created by ‘official’ sources such as: government departments non-departmental public organisations (courts of law, local authorities, non-departmental public bodies/quangos)

Privately deposited archives

These range from business records to church registers - a single emigrant letter to a vast landed estate archive containing thousands of items and spanning a 300 year period.